Podcast appearances and mentions of judge johnson

A Baptist pastor accused of first-degree murder has been granted a $30,000 bond after spending more than two years in jail awaiting trial. Matthew Lynn Dedmon, 49, was given the opportunity to leave custody under strict conditions, including house arrest and GPS monitoring. Dedmon, formerly of Heritage Baptist Church in Springfield, was arrested on May 28, 2022, following an incident in which he allegedly shot 57-year-old Joe Newburn multiple times in the chest. The shooting occurred in the Ozark Courthouse Square Historic District. Authorities say Dedmon confronted Newburn after spotting him with his wife at a local restaurant, leading to what police describe as a violent reaction over an alleged affair. Newburn succumbed to his injuries the following day. Charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action, Dedmon had been held without bond as legal proceedings became entangled in discovery disputes and debates over witness endorsements for the upcoming trial. In September 2022, Judge Laura Johnson denied Dedmon's request for bond, citing concerns about public safety and the seriousness of the charges. "The evidence is that Defendant possessed a loaded gun on the square in Ozark outside a busy restaurant, and that gun was discharged three to four times, resulting in the victim's death. This put everyone on the square in grave danger," Judge Johnson wrote at the time. "The seriousness of the charge increases the risk that Defendant will not appear." However, on October 1, Judge Johnson reversed her earlier decision, setting a $30,000 bond with conditions that Dedmon remain under house arrest and wear a GPS monitor. "Defendant may leave his home only for court appearances and emergency medical attention," the judge ordered. The defense argued that Dedmon deserved a bond, noting his strong family ties, lack of criminal history, and the delays caused by what they termed the prosecution's "inexcusable act of late endorsements" of additional trial witnesses. "This case has been pending for well over two years," the defense filing stated. "Should the Court grant the State's motion to endorse, in whole or in part, that the Defendant should be granted release on bond due to the State's inexcusable act of late endorsements, which if allowed, will cause an inevitable lengthy delay of the Defendant's trial." As of Monday afternoon, records from the Christian County Jail did not indicate that Dedmon had been released. Prosecuting Attorney Kristen Tuohy declined to comment on the bond decision or the defense's allegations regarding witness endorsements, citing the ongoing nature of the case. Defense attorney Stacie Calhoun Bilyeu has not issued a public statement. The victim, Joe Newburn, was a father of five and an avid car enthusiast. An obituary described him as "the guy next door that everyone wanted to know." The case continues to unfold as both sides prepare for the eventual trial. Dedmon's next court appearance has not been publicly scheduled. Want to listen to ALL of our podcasts AD-FREE? Subscribe through APPLE PODCASTS, and try it for three days free: https://tinyurl.com/ycw626tj Follow Our Other Cases: https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com The latest on The Downfall of Diddy, The Trial of Karen Read, The Murder Of Maddie Soto, Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK's Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, Justice for Harmony Montgomery, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, The Murder Of Sandra Birchmore, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com 

A Baptist pastor accused of first-degree murder has been granted a $30,000 bond after spending more than two years in jail awaiting trial. Matthew Lynn Dedmon, 49, was given the opportunity to leave custody under strict conditions, including house arrest and GPS monitoring. Dedmon, formerly of Heritage Baptist Church in Springfield, was arrested on May 28, 2022, following an incident in which he allegedly shot 57-year-old Joe Newburn multiple times in the chest. The shooting occurred in the Ozark Courthouse Square Historic District. Authorities say Dedmon confronted Newburn after spotting him with his wife at a local restaurant, leading to what police describe as a violent reaction over an alleged affair. Newburn succumbed to his injuries the following day. Charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action, Dedmon had been held without bond as legal proceedings became entangled in discovery disputes and debates over witness endorsements for the upcoming trial. In September 2022, Judge Laura Johnson denied Dedmon's request for bond, citing concerns about public safety and the seriousness of the charges. "The evidence is that Defendant possessed a loaded gun on the square in Ozark outside a busy restaurant, and that gun was discharged three to four times, resulting in the victim's death. This put everyone on the square in grave danger," Judge Johnson wrote at the time. "The seriousness of the charge increases the risk that Defendant will not appear." However, on October 1, Judge Johnson reversed her earlier decision, setting a $30,000 bond with conditions that Dedmon remain under house arrest and wear a GPS monitor. "Defendant may leave his home only for court appearances and emergency medical attention," the judge ordered. The defense argued that Dedmon deserved a bond, noting his strong family ties, lack of criminal history, and the delays caused by what they termed the prosecution's "inexcusable act of late endorsements" of additional trial witnesses. "This case has been pending for well over two years," the defense filing stated. "Should the Court grant the State's motion to endorse, in whole or in part, that the Defendant should be granted release on bond due to the State's inexcusable act of late endorsements, which if allowed, will cause an inevitable lengthy delay of the Defendant's trial." As of Monday afternoon, records from the Christian County Jail did not indicate that Dedmon had been released. Prosecuting Attorney Kristen Tuohy declined to comment on the bond decision or the defense's allegations regarding witness endorsements, citing the ongoing nature of the case. Defense attorney Stacie Calhoun Bilyeu has not issued a public statement. The victim, Joe Newburn, was a father of five and an avid car enthusiast. An obituary described him as "the guy next door that everyone wanted to know." The case continues to unfold as both sides prepare for the eventual trial. Dedmon's next court appearance has not been publicly scheduled.  Want to listen to ALL of our podcasts AD-FREE? Subscribe through APPLE PODCASTS, and try it for three days free: https://tinyurl.com/ycw626tj Follow Our Other Cases: https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com The latest on The Downfall of Diddy, The Trial of Karen Read, The Murder Of Maddie Soto, Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK's Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, Justice for Harmony Montgomery, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, The Murder Of Sandra Birchmore, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com 

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In honor of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we delve into the unique experiences of first-generation attorneys at BigLaw firms. Featuring a distinguished panel from Reed Smith's PAALS (Pacific and Asian American Lawyers and Staff) business inclusion group, Bareeq Barqawi is joined by Thuy Nguyen, Rizwan 'Rizzy' Qureshi, and Julia Peng. These exceptional attorneys share their inspiring journeys, the challenges they faced, the importance of mentorship, and how they balance their cultural identities within the legal profession. The group shares their invaluable insights and advice for aspiring first-generation law students and young attorneys. ----more---- Transcript: Intro: Welcome to the Reed Smith podcast, Inclusivity Included, Powerful Personal Stories. In each episode of this podcast, our guests will share their personal stories, passions, and challenges, past and present, all with the goal of bringing people together and learning more about others. You might be surprised by what we all have in common, inclusivity included.  Bareeq: Welcome to Inclusivity Included, Reed Smith's podcast dedicated to exploring diversity, equity and inclusion within the legal profession and across sectors. I'm your host, Bareeq Barqawi, and in honor of May being Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we have a special episode today highlighting first-generation attorneys at Big Law. I'm thrilled to be joined by three exceptional attorneys from our firm and part of today's panel, Thuy Nguyen, a partner in our real estate group, Rizwan ‘Rizzy' Qureshi, a partner in global Global Regulatory Enforcement Litigation, and Julia Peng, an associate attorney in Global Commercial Disputes. Each of them brings unique perspectives and experiences as first-generation attorneys of Asian and South Asian descent. Thank you all for joining us today.  Rizwan: Thanks for having us.  Bareeq: So to start, can each of you just share a little bit about your background and what inspired you to pursue a career in law? Let's begin with you, Thuy.  Thuy: Thanks, Bareeq. We have to go down memory lane a little bit, but I'll try to keep it concise. As a Vietnamese woman, my family and I immigrated to the United States in 1991. My dad served in the Vietnam War in opposition to the Communist Party. After he served in the war, he was put in what they refer to as re-education camps, which are essentially concentration camps. They put you to work, they tortured you. The idea was to kind of, re-educate you to think the way they thought. He spent a few years there and fortunately for us afterwards, we were able to gain refugee status and come to the U.S. and be protected by the United States government. So my two parents and six kids came to the United States in San Francisco with nothing but the clothes on our back. And we just, my parents set to do a variety of odd and end jobs to support our family. My dad did landscaping. My mom worked at the bakery. She worked at the flea market. She did everything she could get her hands on to feed the six of us. And we were on public assistance. I guess there's no way to really sugarcoat it. And we were, we received food stamps, we received housing assistance. And I remember as a young child, I was fortunate to be able to go to school and pick up English relatively quickly because I was still really young. And so kind of the responsibility I had in my household was taking my parents to the county of public assistance whenever they needed help getting getting food stamps or filling in paperwork for them when it came time for an inspection on our household. And I just remember being really, really terrified every time I had to go to any place of authority and just thinking like, we don't belong here. And I don't want to say anything wrong because I don't want them to reject us. And I just was looking for a profession where I could learn to advocate for myself and for my family, just so we can kind of take away a little bit of that fear and anxiety that I experience every time I go to a court or again, any place of public authority. So I thought a a career in law would be something that could help us overcome some of that anxiety and that fear. And, you know, eight years later, here I am.  Bareeq: Wow. I am actually blown away. What a powerful story, Thuy. Thank you so much for sharing. And I actually came to this country in ‘92, so I can totally relate to coming and having, it's pretty like intimidating experience to come and learn a whole new culture and language, especially what your parents face. So thank you for sharing that. Rizzy, how about you?  Rizwan: Sure. Thank you for having me. And it's funny because Thuy and I have very different backgrounds. My parents are immigrants from Pakistan. I'm a first-generation American, but our backgrounds are also very similar. My parents are immigrants my father grew up very poor he worked his way up and became a veterinarian his his true dream was to be a physician and you know i know that our efforts here on this podcast and there are affinity groups that are BIGs as we call them is always to, steer clear of and and push it against any stereotypes but I'm gonna I'm gonna. Doubled down on a stereotype. I was destined to be a physician, and I was a failure because I did not become a physician. And I mean failure in air quotes. Like my colleague, I was the one, because my parents' English was not their first language, who looked at their very first mortgage document, communicated with their lender to help them understand what kind of risk they were taking by borrowing money to purchase their first home, executing leases on behalf of my father and his family members. And that was my first exposure to, quote unquote, the law. But at the time, all I was was a 12-year-old kid who was trying to help his dad navigate what was otherwise a complex world and complex sort of legal obligations that he had for his various affairs for his family. Not only us, but our extended family. So how did I pursue a career in the law? When I decided to drop AP bio anatomy and physiology when I was in high school, and it literally requested, my father requested a sit down, not with the principal, but also with the superintendent, because it was going to impact the trajectory of my career. I knew that the social sciences, sort of the legal profession, advocacy, helping people was something that was really what made me tick. And sort of the rest is history. You know, I went on to get an undergraduate degree in political science and international relations, did some work at the United Nations on legal advocacy issues. And then felt that the next natural step for me was to go to law school. And I had the privilege to go to Howard University School of Law. And that's really what inspired me to pursue a career in the law. And I don't think it's any different than my colleague. It was my life experience and what I was called upon to do as a child of immigrants and realize that that's where I'm most effective. And, you know, breaking news, my parents are very proud of me and so is my father, but it was a life-changing sort of historic moment when I decided I wasn't going to pursue medical school.  Bareeq: Thank you so much for sharing, Rizzy. I always think it's interesting because as children of immigrants, all of us like end up being these these kid advocates and kid interpreters. And I can relate to you overcoming the obstacles of your culture because actually I always think it's a funny story. We laugh about it now, my dad and I, but my dad used to say, you know, why do you have to go to get your bachelor's degree? You're going to end up being like someone's wife and mother. And I'm like, okay. And that just made me want to prove him wrong. And then he cried at my college graduation. When I graduate top of my class, I always, I always like to remind him of that. Julia, what about you?  Julia: I have a similar story as my colleagues here. I immigrated to America with my parents in 1997. Both my parents were doctors in China, but my dad didn't really speak English at all when we came to America. And so it was an interesting family dynamic to have someone who was a doctor in China now taking on, you know, like dishwashing jobs or waitering jobs at Chinese restaurants, because that's all he could do with his limited English. And so I too was someone who was helping translate for the family and taking on that role. And I thought, I didn't understand the advocacy I was helping to do for my family at the time. And because my parents were doctors, they were very, very insistent that, you know, I would be a doctor and that that's the only career path that made sense for the paying family. And so I actually did make my transition transition to law until my senior year of college. I was pre-med all the way through. In fact, I have a biology degree because my parents are like, you're so close, just get the degree and then you can decide really if you want to be a lawyer or a doctor. So it wasn't until my junior year in college that summer where I went to Peru to intern for two months for my med school applications that I completely realized I'm not cut out to be a doctor. I love the advocacy aspect and I've always enjoyed that even as a child. And my roommate was planning on law school and she She invited me to check out, I guess, back then I went to UCSC and they had a couple of mock one hour classes that undergrads could attend and kind of get the experience of what it would be like to be a law student. And I totally fell in love and I was double majoring in poli sci anyways. And I was like, oh, this is this is a perfect fit for me. And this is exactly what I want to do. But I think like Rizzy, I had to really prove to my parents that this is the route for me and that it was a cause of strife within the family that I was now deviating from the master plan.  Bareeq: Thank you so much for sharing, Julia. And not to even knock the medical profession, because I think it's wonderful if you can do that. But I'm really happy you all ended up attorneys because you're so good at it. So let's talk a little bit about what I kind of referred to as almost like the immigrant identity crisis as you work to adapt and assimilate to culture in America. So balancing cultural identity with fitting into the workplace, it can be challenging. How do you manage this type of balance? And actually, Julia, I'm going to go ahead and start with you?  Julia: Sure. It's something that's still different. So within my family, it's much more like you study, you work hard, and you'll get noticed because of all the work that you have put in. And even now, my parents think the best way forward is always get your straight A's, check all the boxes, but keep your head down and eventually your hard work will pay off. And that's just not how the legal career works. I think that part is definitely a big aspect of it. But I think professionally, I have been encouraged at Reed Smith to get on podcasts like these or to share my opinions, to have these strong opinions that I can exchange and interact with so that it helps me improve as a person, but it also, I feel safe to have, you know, a different personality than what my, I think parents or my family would want to be, which is, oh, you know, you're easygoing and you're, you do your duties to your family and you're a good daughter. But at the end of the day, you're here for your family versus I think I have grown now to become more career-focused. And that's something that I'm also working through.  Bareeq: Thank you for sharing. And I love that aspect of feeling safe enough to bring that identity to the workplace too. Thuy, have you ever felt the need to conform to certain expectations in the workplace? How do you manage your cultural identity?  Thuy: That's definitely a challenge for me. When I was a summer associate going into first year associate, my class was fairly large for San Francisco at the time. There was six of us and I was the only immigrant, came from a diverse background. One thing that I quickly realized was it was very hard for me to network and connect with people, especially at the beginning. With my parents not speaking English, I didn't grow up watching TV or talking about politics at the dinner table, listening to music, having recreational activities like golf or going on vacation with my family. We didn't do or do any of that. And I didn't have those experiences so that I can talk to someone when we see them at the cooler or when we're going around the table and everyone's like, tell us something interesting about yourself. I was always very intimidated and afraid to take up air in the room because I felt like I didn't have anything valuable or interesting to add to the conversation. And I didn't want to talk about my experience or my background, because sometimes it can be very heavy and not really appropriate for like, tell us a fun fact about yourself. And over time, I just had to really push myself outside of my comfort zone and learn new things and just, you know, not be afraid to tell people what I did over the weekend, even if I thought it wasn't interesting, and just not be afraid to share. I feel like that's really kind of shaped my identity at work, just not being afraid to share and then sometimes having to talk about my background and not being afraid that it is who I am. And it's shaped me into the person, the individual, and the attorney that I am today.  Bareeq: I love that. Thank you for sharing. And Rizzy, what about you? How do you navigate your cultural identity in the workplace place?  Rizwan: You know, it's a hard question to answer because in a weird way, I would argue that it ebbs and flows. You know, I'm Rizzy. I am who I am. And I'm very outwardly, I mean, I know that I have a face for radio, which is why I'm on this podcast, but I have a, I look like a child of immigrants. I look like I'm of Pakistani descent. So it's outwardly evident to this homogenous law firm or big law or corporate culture that I'm sort of different. But like my colleagues, I think there's some truth to. You want to find a place in a professional environment where many are not like you. So how do you do that? I'm much farther along in my career. So I have a little bit more, I'll call it courage, admittedly, of being my authentic self. And I don't think I had that courage when I was a young person because I felt like I needed to assimilate to something that wasn't me. But then the other thing that plays an important role here, to give an example, I'm the partner chair of the Muslim Inclusion Committee at Reed Smith. And over the last year, like many people in our community of various religious backgrounds and cultural backgrounds, Muslims are hurting, particularly in light of the Middle East conflict. And what's interesting there is, as a result of that conflict, and this ebbs and flows again, it happened on 9/11 when I was a college student, when otherwise I was just a member of a fraternity who probably was partying too much and just happened to be a brown guy. But then when 9/11 happened, I felt a duty to be more authentically a child of Pakistani immigrants, Muslim American, who represents a group of people here who are not all like the horrible people who hijacked not only planes, but hijacked our peaceful faith and attacked America on 9/11. And I feel the same way in light of this crisis that's occurring in Gaza, which is, I'm a Muslim, and I believe in human rights, and I do believe fundamentally that there's a lot of well-intentioned Muslims who believe in peace and want peace in the region, and our voice needs to be heard. So that's a long way of saying, Barik, it depends on the day, it depends on the moment. Sometimes I feel like, am I not being truly myself all the time? But I'm just speaking for myself. And that's sort of how I've navigated it. And I'm in a different place in my career now where I have, like I said, more courage to be who I am.  Bareeq: I think you bring up such excellent points, which is I don't want to say the word strategic, but sometimes there's an appropriate time to kind of bring up your identity and to add your voice to that conversation. And then there's other times where you kind of just like go with the fold. And that speaks to, I think, being comfortable in the workplace environment, being more confident. And that takes time sometimes, like as you know yourself more than you bring yourself to the table in a really authentic way, given what that environment is or that situation is. So like situational analysis, so to speak. So thank you for sharing that really excellent, excellent examples. I'm going to actually go into a little bit more about, I'm going to go about mentorship. It's often crucial for career development. I would love to hear a little bit about how important mentorship has been in your careers and your journeys. And Rizzy, since we had you end, I'm going to have you start.  Rizwan: Sure. Interestingly, I just was part of a Law360 article on this issue, and it randomly came about, you know, mentorship has been critical to my success, whether as a young person from my father all the way up through aunts and uncles and older cousins and throughout my professional career, from law school through becoming an AUSA at the Department of Justice and back in private practice. is. I rely upon my mentors to this day, and mentors are what I owe a lot of my career to. I did put in a lot of hard work, but, Working with people and understanding from people how the, I won't say sausage, how the kebab is made in the law firm setting is so important to your success. And in that Law360 article, I talked about a seminal moment when I was a young summer associate coming into first year associate and a black partner, or actually he was a senior associate at the time, who recruited me from Howard University School of Law. Late on a Friday, right before a summer event, as you usually have with the Summer Associate Program, which we're in right now, had me do an assignment. And he randomly called me down to his office and asked me to close his door. And my heart dropped because I was like, something's up. And he basically sat me down and said, your work product is absolutely unacceptable. It will never fly in this law firm or any law firm. And if you continue to submit work like this, lazy work like this, you're never going to succeed here. So you might get an offer at the end of the summer, but you won't succeed. To me, I talked to my wife about it to this day. That was such a pivotal moment for me because he was a person I trusted. He's the person I probably got too comfortable with and sort of melded in thinking we needed to get on with our Friday evening activity of which he was going to join me. And I went back to the drawing board. I worked hard, Got him the assignment I needed. And that's been sort of a moment that I continue to cite back to whenever I'm digging deep to do something for clients or for my internal clients or my colleagues is that always, always, always try to work towards the utmost excellence and perfection that you can in your work. You're going to make mistakes. But I'm so thankful for that moment because that individual is now a client of mine, still a dear friend, a big client of the firm. And I think it's a testament to that moment where that mentor, who was of a minority background like me and knew that we had to go the extra mile in this environment because there's so few of us, really kept it real with me. And the fact that he kept it real is one moment to which I owe a lot of my success today. And far too often, in my opinion, whether it's on my white partners or my minority partners, I feel like we often walk on eggshells and don't give appropriate constructive criticism to our mentees. And in the end, the mentees pay for it because folks stop giving them work, they eventually get less busy, and before you know it, they've moved on to somewhere else and we haven't done enough to give them constructive feedback so that they can succeed.  Bareeq: I love that story. Thank you so much for sharing, Rizzy. And I love that it also, I think, probably modeled for you how a mentor should be, which is not just rainbows and, you know, pie in the sky. It's also, you know, keeping it real and making sure you're pushing that person to their success because you see it, right? Thuy, have you found your experience as a first-generation attorney, what have you found in terms of mentorship opportunities and mentorship in terms of your career development?  Thuy: I'm going to take it kind of at a slightly different angle, Bareeq. Going back to my first year as an associate here at Reed Smith, I realized about a month in that I wanted to do transactional work and I was slotted in the litigation group. I came from a law school that was heavily, heavily litigation focused. I did moot court for two or three years until I realized at Reed Smith, I wanted to do transactional work and looking around the office, we didn't have a ton of it. And one day I realized I can't keep doing this. I can't, I need to be billing eight to nine hours a day. And I can't just keep sitting around waiting for work to, to come onto my plate. So I started reaching out to other offices and I reached out to this one partner in Southern California who I won't name. And I said, Hey, I'm very very interested in your practice and transactional work. Is there anything I can help with? And he was hesitant. And looking back, I understand why he might have been hesitant. Someone you don't know who is a very junior associate who is just realizing that she wants to practice transactional law. It is hard to take on someone new under your wing and have to show them the ropes, have to show them how to run a bread line, have to teach them some very basic things. So it took him a while to eventually give me work. So finally, when it came, when the opportunity presented itself for me to help this partner with this assignment, it was my very first assignment with him. So I really wanted to make sure it was polished and it was my best foot forward because I knew that if it wasn't, I was never going to get more work from him and he was probably never going to take another chance on a junior associate again. So thankfully, I did a pretty good job and he still talks about that assignment. To this day, but he was impressed. And one assignment led to another, led to another. And next thing you knew it, I was working for him full time. And I remember during this time, I did many things to get his attention, including flying down to Southern California to see him and see other people that he worked with and called him and emailed him. And I guess all of this is It's just to say sometimes mentorship doesn't fall into your lap. Mentors don't show up on your doorstep. You have to seek them out. And sometimes you have to keep banging on the door to seek them out. But at the end of the day, it's totally worth it. He is now a mentor and a sponsor for me. And I credit all the success I've had at this firm with him taking me under his wing.  Bareeq: I think that's a great example for those that look at mentorship to say, you know, sometimes you have to be really proactive about it and pursue, you know, somebody saying like you have the experience I want to one day, you know, follow in your footsteps. And I love that story. That's fantastic. And Julia, what about you? What about your experience with mentorship in your career?  Julia: To that I think I have to quickly summarize my career, which did not start in big law. So I have been working or I've worked at three law firms. I started an IP boutique litigation firm. And then I realized that wasn't really for me. And then I did plaintiff side law for a little bit. And I love that. But I realized in the long run, that would also probably not be the perfect fit for me. before I made my way to read myth. And I think for every step of my career, I have had mentors and guidance from people within the firm, which I think is really important to rely upon. But I've also luckily had the support of the Asian American Bar Association up in the Bay Area. And for me, that is a really great source of mentorship because you meet people from, you know, all backgrounds, big laws, law, government, and they are such a great resource if you're thinking about, you know, what trajectory is your career going in. If you have some, anything you want to discuss us about your career that you might not necessarily feel as comfortable talking about within the firm. There's a resource for you outside the firm. And so I actually, I guess, want to talk about my experience seeking mentorship and getting help with the Bar Association. And that has been a really good experience for me.  Bareeq: Thank you so much for sharing, Julia. And I also love that you mentioned the Asian Bar Association, because I think that's a great resource. And even thinking outside the box, like what other organizations can I kind of look to to make those connections and relationships? I could definitely talk to you all all day because you have such eye opening experiences that I think so many of us can learn from. But as we wrap up, I guess my last question will be to all aspiring first-generation law students and other first-generation attorneys listening, especially those of diverse background, what advice would you give them? How can they navigate the pressures of feeling the need to go, quote-unquote, that extra mile? Rizzy, I'll start with you.  Rizwan: Yeah, thank you. I'll say going the extra mile, similar to what Thuy was saying, I completely agree, which is you not only go the extra mile in your day-to-day substantive legal work, but you have to think about the bigger picture, building your brand and building your practice. Because before you know it, you may be a summer associate or even a law student and a baby lawyer. And then you have to start building your brand and building your practice and going out there and getting work for your colleagues as well as yourself. self. So to me, it's really about tapping into the network. And I'm not saying your network, because our individual networks are limited. They are who we know, who we went to law school with. But it's so important what some of my colleagues have said. It's like, don't wait for that mentor to come knocking on your door to say, hey, I want to help you. You need to go out there and adopt your own mentors. And I did that and I continue to do that. I mean, young people today and young lawyers today in our world that we live in now have so many resources at their disposal where you can go up and look up a client or you can look up a law firm and you can pretty quickly determine how many degrees of separation you have with that one individual with whom you not only have a interest in their practice, but maybe you have a cultural affinity or connection to them. Leverage that. I never would have gotten my federal clerkship if I did not find out the judge that I wanted to clerk for had a former clerk who knew a buddy I went to law school with. So what did I do? I reached out to that buddy and I said, hey, I'm trying to clerk for Judge Johnson in the Eastern District of New York. Do you know this guy, Jason? He's like, oh yeah, he's my boy. My immediate response to my buddy was, well, he's my boy now. Can we do lunch with him? And the rest is history. And the same goes for my trajectory to the US Attorney's Office. So really take ownership of every facet of your life. We get so tied up as lawyers to be type A, and I have to get the best grades, which you do, and I have to do the best work, which you do. But you can't just be doing your best work and getting your best grades inside of a cave. You need to sort of take that out there and learn from others, leverage relationships so that you can continue to excel in whatever it is you want to do.  Bareeq: Fantastic. Thank you, Rizzy. Julia, what about you? What advice would you be giving to other first-generation attorneys or aspiring law students that are first-generation?  Julia: I think it's really important to keep an open mind and stay curious. So not only do you, I think, have to actively pursue what you want, but I think you still need to keep an open mind to figure out what you do want. Coming from a background where I think my parents just expected me to go excel in whatever career I wanted to do, they were not very understanding when at first I wasn't that excited about immediately going into middle. I wanted to have different experiences before I made my way into big law. And I think there's a lot of opportunities out there for lawyers who want to explore and learn a little bit more about the legal career, about themselves before they transition into big law. And I think that is perfectly acceptable. I know that a lot of Asian Americans just, they want to be the best and that's very commendable, but you can be the best in all sorts of different legal areas.  Bareeq: Yeah. And there's something to be said about being the best for yourself, like best version of you, because it's not good. The best is not going to be for the best for everybody. And really knowing yourself and what what you want to do. And last but not least, Thuy, what are your thoughts?  Thuy: Thanks, Bareeq. I'm going to echo what Rizzy said and just, again, hone in on the importance of going to events. And I don't want to call it networking. I hate that word of just connecting with people and getting to know people because you want to. I think as immigrants, the way we're taught by our parents is you just need to keep your head down, do your best work. And so it's very easy to be in a big law firm where there's a billable hours requirement to say, I'm not going to go to that happy hour. I'm not going to go to that alumni event because I should get this memo out or I should bill another two hours. But you know like Rizzy said one of the more important things is to get to know people it's for your career and this is your career you get what you put into it you know Casey Ryan our Global Managing Partner knows me by name but she doesn't know me because i do i draft a awesome real estate contract she knows me because i go to events when she's in town i go to see her When I'm seeing her, I'm seeing maybe other members of senior management, my own colleagues I grow up with, connecting with them, commiserating with them sometimes. Talking about our families and our dogs, what have you. Just having this community to lean onto to succeed together so that one day, if you need help or if they need help, they're there for you. It just makes this very big firm feel like a much smaller, comfortable home.  Bareeq: I love that. Thank you so much for all this wonderful advice. I know our listeners will really appreciate it. Thank you so much, Thuy, Rizzy, Julia, for sharing your incredible journeys and insights with us today. Your experiences and advice are invaluable to our listeners and to all those aspiring to make their mark in the legal field. Thank you to our listeners for tuning in to Inclusivity Included. Stay tuned for more episodes where we will continue to explore and celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion. Until next time, have a great rest of the day.  Outro: Inclusivity Included is a Reed Smith production. Our producers are Ali McCardell and Shannon Ryan. You can find our podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, reedsmith.com, and our social media accounts.  Disclaimer:This podcast is provided for educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice and is not intended to establish an attorney-client relationship, nor is it intended to suggest or establish standards of care applicable to particular lawyers in any given situation. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Any views, opinions, or comments made by any external guest speaker are not to be attributed to Reed Smith LLP or its individual lawyers.   All rights reserved.  Transcript is auto-generated.

Judge Mark E. Johnson, Ret. Served as a Superior Court Judge in Riverside County. In addition to other duties, he served over the Riverside County Veterans Court.Judge Johnson was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as a Superior Court Judge in May 2009 and was reelected to the position in June 2010. Since his appointment, Judge Johnson has been assigned to civil, probate, felony trial, and mental health and veterans courts. Judge Johnson also serves on the Riverside Superior Court's criminal law advisory committee, the Riverside County Veterans Advisory Committee, the Board of Directors of Inland Empire Champions for Collaborative Courts, a charitable foundation supporting the collaborative courts of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, and the Board of Directors for U.S. Vets, March Air Force Base. Judge Johnson has also served as a consultant for Washington D.C.-based American University on issues relating to veterans' courts.Beginning in August 2011, Judge Johnson chaired a committee comprised of several Riverside County agencies and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to develop the first Riverside County Veterans Court. The Court was opened on 1 January 2012 and has been in operation since that date. The Court now presently supervises an average of 50 veterans on probation suffering from military-related trauma such as post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury who have served in combat in Vietnam, Grenada, Bosnia, Kosovo, Panama, Djibouti, Iraq, and Afghanistan.Judge Johnson is also a retired Colonel of the United States Army Reserve. During 28 years of active and reserve service, Judge Johnson served in various positions, including command judge advocate, company commander, battalion commander, and division chief of operations. His service included a deployment to Baghdad, Iraq from 2003-2004, where he served as the Chief of the Government Support Team, 1st Cavalry Division. For his service in this position and his role in the development of democracy in the Republic of Iraq, Judge Johnson was awarded the bronze star medal by General Peter Chiarelli in 2004 and personally honored by United States Senator Dianne Feinstein in a ceremony held in Riverside in 2005.Judge Johnson has received numerous military awards and decorations, including the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, five awards of the Meritorious Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Korean Defense Service Medal, the Combat Action Badge, and the Parachutist's Badge, as well as numerous other awards and decorations. Judge Johnson retired from the United States Army on 1 October 2013.Author of "Scars and Stife" https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/scars-strife-m-e-johnson/1144889076?ean=9798888242520LINKS:https://nonprofitarchitect.org/combat-vet-vision/https://www.facebook.com/iconutilityservices/photos/pcb.3282304212030773/3282304082030786/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqvd5sUEtC9xkm7ejGNK5Zw/featuredhttps://www.facebook.com/aqseiberthttps://www.facebook.com/CombatVetVisionEmail: Aqseibert@yahoo.comThe Warrior Built Foundation - https://warriorbuilt.org/The PTSD Foundation of America - https://ptsdusa.org/Virtual Office(Come see me) Virbella.comSponsorsSitch Radio - https://sitchradio.com/If you would like to become a sponsor or advertiser Call Sitch Radio (714) 643-2500 X 1Be part of the solution or the problem.PTSD FOA Warrior Group Chaptershttps://ptsdusa.org/about-us/chapters/

Merry Christmas and Holiday Day Off For Those Who CelebrateThis is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette Digital News Desk, and I'm here with your update for December 25, 2023.According to the National Weather Service there will be an almost certain chance for rain for much of Christmas Monday, with the chance for rain gradually dropping after 5 p.m. The wind also could be a problem with an east wind of 15 to 20 mph, gusting as high as 30 mph. The temperature should peak at 54 degrees, with a low dropping down to 31 degrees.For holiday travelers, the rain hitting us on Monday is projected to gradually head northeast. As of early Monday morning, most flights with delays appear to be flights coming out of west coast destinations and crossing this large front currently creeping its way through the country's midsection.As you gather around your Christmas tree this morning you will feel comfort in knowing that a judge has ruled that a 13th century English legal document does not set legal precedent for stealing trees in Iowa.According to reporting from the Iowa Capitol Dispatch, last week District Court Judge Derek Johnson denied the request of a new trial for 41-year-old Jason Levant Ferguson, who last month was found guilty by a jury of felony theft and 50 timber violations.Court records show Ferguson admitted to cutting down and taking dozens of trees from the Stoddard Wildlife Management Area near Rolfe in northwest Iowa over the course of more than a year.After the jury's verdict last month, Ferguson asked for a new trial for a variety of reasons, including his alleged protection by the Charter of the Forest, which was first issued by King Henry III at the age of 10 in the year 1217.Ferguson's attorney, Kevin Fors of Harcourt, argued that provisions of the charter became part of the United States' common law when it declared independence from England.Judge Johnson, however, was not convinced, according to reporting from the Dispatch.“The court finds that the English common law rights enumerated by the Charter of the Forest of 1217 do not apply to this case,” wrote Judge Johnson. “The Charter of the Forest explicitly applied only to the forests of England, and the laws of the United States have meaningfully and deliberately deviated from the rights granted under the charter.”The University of Iowa announced this month it is increasing staffing and expanding boundaries for its “Nite Ride” service, which provides students and staff with free rides in the areas in and around the university between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.Nite Ride uses a small bus to transport several people to their desired destinations in turn. Or for a $1 fee, Nite Ride offers direct rides in smaller vehicles.The program previously has been staffed by part-time student security officers, but the university will now have one full-time security officer dedicated to driving for Nite Ride. Campus Safety also has created a new adopt-a-weekend program in which student organizations can sign up to staff the program with their members for a weekend.Have a great Christmas. And, thank you, as always, for making us a part of your daily routine.

Transcript: bit.ly/41WQelGJudge Anita Schutte was appointed to the Denver District Court in June of 2022 and currently presides over a domestic relations docket. Prior to her appointment, she represented the Colorado Department of Human Services at the Colorado Attorney General's Office, served as a municipal court judge, as a public defender, and represented children with disabilities.Judge Schutte has a severe hearing loss and recently co-founded the Colorado Disability Bar Association alongside Judge Johnson. She received her law degree in 2003 from Whittier Law School and her bachelor's from the University of Colorado at Denver in 2000. She is a first-generation college student.Judge Sueanna P. Johnson was appointed to the Colorado Court of Appeals in December 2019. Before her appointment, she was employed with the Colorado Attorney General's Office first as an Assistant Attorney General, then as a Senior Assistant Attorney General in the Business and Licensing Section. While at the Colorado Attorney General's Office, she also worked in the State Services Section and served on the internal Ethics and Fellowship Committees.She obtained her Juris Doctor from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2003 and earned her bachelor's in political science from Colorado College in 1997.As a person with albinism and a visual impairment, she is also a member of the National Organization of Albinism and Hypopigmentation. Judge Johnson was born in Seoul, South Korea and adopted when she was three years old.Connect with the Rocky Mountain ADA Center at RockyMountainADA.org or find us on social media. Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or anywhere else you get your podcasts!

Nelson C. Johnson is an author, former judge, lawyer, and historian, best known for his 2002 New York Times bestseller, Boardwalk Empire. His book served as the basis for the popular and Emmy Award-winning HBO crime drama TV series, Boardwalk Empire. The Honorable Nelson C. Johnson, J.S.C.(Ret.) practiced law for 31 years prior to being appointed to the New Jersey Superior Court (Martindale-Hubbell lawyer rating: “A-V”). During his first eight years on the bench, Judge Johnson sat in the Civil Division and presided over more than 250 jury trials. During his final five years on the bench, he was one of three judges in New Jersey assigned to Multi-County Litigation, involving product liability claims. Judge Johnson recently released his new novel, - Darrow's Nightmare. Hoerner Law: https://hoernerlaw.com Cannabis Legalization in NJ: https://www.njcriminalpodcast.com/category/cannabis-legalization-nj/ Lindbergh Kidnapping Trial: https://www.njcriminalpodcast.com/category/lindbergh-kidnapping/ Lindbergh Kidnapping Blog Posts: https://www.njcriminalpodcast.com/blog/category/lindbergh-kidnapping/ Start a Legal Podcast: https://lawfirmpodcasts.com Start a Niche Business Podcast: https://nichepodcast.net

Lakers legend, Michael Cooper is joined by author/success story, Shontel Green. Shontel pulled her life off the streets and into entrepreneurship.    For more information on how to purchase Green's book,  visit: www.mastermindthebook.com     PRESS RELEASE: Shontel Greene Releases Her New Book Mastermind: Born a Statistic, Determined to Die a Winner . . . 12 Years Later   Baltimore, Maryland Aug 3, 2022 (Issuewire.com)  - Shontel Greene is pleased to announce the release of her latest book, Mastermind: Born a Statistic, Determined to Die a Winner . . . 12 Years Later. Shontel's transformation of her life is epic as described in this captivating book. Mastermind is the compelling true story of Shontel Adams (Greene). Born and raised in the streets of West Baltimore, Shontel was forced to become a drug dealer at 14 to save her family from losing their home. To get started, she had to convince her uncle who was ‘in the game' to give her the money. She was lured and sucked into the seductive underworld of fast money, fast living, and a fast-paced lifestyle. Getting in was the easy part, but getting out would require a miracle. With her back against the wall, Shontel had to navigate a double life of being a straight-A student with perfect attendance by day and a 17-year-old Drug Queenpin by night. With the grandeur came danger, as she was subjected to robberies, being shot at, kidnapped, and even set up by a close friend. That same uncle who mentored her then wanted her dead. After multiple arrests, Shontel's awakening was from Judge Johnson, who reduced her 20-year sentence to weekend jail during her mandatory college matriculation. Shontel realized books were her saving grace. On her mother's death bed, she begged Shontel to change, and from that moment on, she never sold drugs again.  With two Master's degrees and a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, she began her life of entrepreneurial success. Shontel's true-life story will take you on a series of highs and lows as she battled her demons; and struggled to endure betrayal, prison, kidnapping, robberies, murder, police corruption, and her parent's drug addiction. Shontel's mastermind helped her get out of the game, turn her life around, and build a legitimate multi-million-dollar business empire. Discover how she gave up the hustling lifestyle to become a true "Boss Chick" by creating a legal multi-million-dollar business empire and is able to enjoy a life of luxury now while also participating in multiple philanthropic ventures to give back to those in need in the inner city. Her motto was, “You can't control the cards you are dealt, but you absolutely can control how you play them.” Shontel was always determined to "Play to win." Shontel has been featured in Black Enterprise magazine as one of the largest growing Black-owned businesses. She has also been featured in Forbes and Power magazine and various TV and news shows. For more information visit: www.mastermindthebook.com

Voices of County Government is a favorite feature of the Texas Association of Counties' quarterly magazine, County. Consider it now an occasional feature here on Texas County Voice. Our guest: Hemphill County Judge Lisa Johnson. Judge Johnson talks about what it's like to wield the county gavel after 11 years as county and district clerk, her experience as clerk and a few of her favorite things about Hemphill County.

In this bonus episode of One Youth, Dual Systems, Jessica Heldman and Judge Johnson discuss why dual status youth are at greater risk for sexual exploitation, ways to collaborate with system partners, creative solutions to prevent youth from entering deep end services, and ideas for how to improve our systems with impassioned advocates.

In this episode, Karen shares her journey following the overdose that led to her son's death and how it transformed her own path  to growth and spirituality.Judge Johnson is a Georgetown Law Center (J.D.) graduate, a former Fulbright Scholar in Afghanistan, and holds master's degrees in public health and Public and International Affairs (MPH, MPIA). Karen is a retired federal administrative law judge who has practiced criminal and energy law for more than 30 years. She also is a former U.S. Army officer, Major, USAR.Karen is also a grieving parent of a son, forever 27 years old, who is now trained extensively in the techniques of Illumination, Soul Retrieval, Extractions of Energies and Entities, Divination, and Death Rites. Personally trained by Alberto Villoldo, Karen is faculty at the Four Winds Society and a Master Practitioner of Energy Medicine, and the author of Living Grieving: Using Energy Medicine to Alchemize Grief and Loss.Karen writes, “You may be feeling stuck in your grief and wondering why you can't seem to get over it. I felt the same way until I realized we do not get over grief. It's not like catching the flu; we aren't sick. There is no cure, and we can't medicate it away. Instead, grief is a state of being that carries energy that you can tap into to create a new life. Just as we use the energy of other newly acquired states of being like marriage or parenthood to transform our lives, we can likewise use the energy of grieving to transform.”You can learn more about Karen here.Support the show (https://healgrief.org/donations/)

In the fall of 1955, Rosa Parks refused to stand for a white passenger on the bus, Martin Luther King Jr. was chosen to lead the boycott that followed, and a lawyer named Frank Johnson was appointed to be the first and only federal judge for the middle district of Alabama (also the youngest federal judge in the nation). These three people didn't know each other, and yet, their paths converged in Montgomery, at the crossroads of history. In this episode, you'll hear rare audio of Ms. Parks describing the day of her arrest, and you'll learn the lesser known story of Judge Johnson, a principled and stubborn Southerner from northern Alabama, who issued many of the court decisions decimating segregation throughout the south. The episode was originally published in July, 2017. This encore edition, for Black History Month, includes new audio from a recently-conducted interview with Civil Rights Movement leader, Andrew Young. 

Oftentimes, our careers don't follow a linear path. Opportunities may arise that may be completely different than what we expected but may serve us and our goals. This was true for Judge Kimberly Johnson, who went to graduate school to study psychology. Her path changed and led her to law school, ultimately becoming a trial attorney and a judge. In this episode, Mila and I chatted with Judge Johnson on the importance of giving junior attorneys opportunities to argue a case in the courtroom, and why diversity in trial teams is imperative.

Jason was in DC, but Eric filled in so we had three tonight. There was a lot of news to cover. Atlanta has a Mayor's race this year. Can anyone stop Kasim Reed? How big an issue is crime to Atlanta voters? Speaker David Ralston is concerned about crime in Atlanta but the House Caucus elections for Majority Whip are set for this weekend, but what about Majority Caucus Chair? Governor Kemp reminds everyone to get the vaccine as cases surge again in Georgia. Kemp also appointed PSC Commissioner Chuck Eaton to the Bench and Fitz Johnson to fill Eaton's spot on the PSC.

New Jersey Superior Court Judge Nelson Johnson (Ret.) is the author of Boardwalk Empire -  New York Times best-selling book and inspiration for the smash HBO hit. His book Battleground New Jersey drops the reader directly into the titanic battle between two people critical to evolution of the New Jersey governance and the Court System.  Our first Chief Justice Arthur T. Vanderbilt and his nemesis Jersey City Mayor Frank Hague. Please enjoy Part 1.Judge Johnson's upcoming book – release date April 20, 2021 deals with one of our most famous lawyers Clarence Darrow. The book is called Darrow's Nightmare. Pre-order!!Click Here to give The BOLD SIDEBAR a nice 5-star Rating.Check out our sound engineer Nick Bates at: Bandcamp - https://nick-bates.bandcamp.com and Twitter - https://twitter.com/nickbatesmusic

NJ Model Jury Charge Proposed - Rooting out Implicit or Unconscious Bias - the NJ Supreme Court will take comments on this interesting proposed Amendment to the baseline Model Jury Charges.Topic: Publication of Police Officer DisciplineSuzette Parmley of the NJ Law Journal reports on oral argument before the NJ Supreme Court on March 2, 2021. The issue is whether NJ Police Office discipline will become public and accessible. I also tease our next topic:First post-1947 Constitution - Chief Justice Arthur T. Vanderbilt and an amazing book by retired Superior Court Judge Nelson C. Johnson -  Battleground New Jersey - Vanderbilt, Hague and their Fight for Justice.  [Judge Johnson is also the  author of Boardwalk Empire - the book that spawned the HBO smash hit series.]Please Click here to give The BOLD SIDEBAR a nice 5-star Rating.Check out our sound engineer Nick Bates at: Bandcamp - https://nick-bates.bandcamp.com and Twitter - https://twitter.com/nickbatesmusic

Eddie Rye with Co-Host Hayward Evans: Guests include: *Angela T. Rye, CEO, Impact Strategies and CNN Political Analyst.? *Lacy Steele, President Emeritus, Seattle King County NAACP comments on his long history with late NAACP leader Judge Charles V. Johnson. *Gerald Hankerson, NAACP States Area Conference President, Alaska, Oregon; Washington comments on the January 15 3:00 pm (PST) "Farewell to a King" a livestream presentation honoring the life of Judge Charles V. Johnson. *Carolyn Riley-Payne, Seattle King County NAACP, talks about the decades of work she did with Judge Johnson. President Riley-Payne was the Branch's ACTSO Director for 39 years before taking over as president. *Shaude' Moore, Chair, Seattle King County MLK Organizing Coalition and Attorney Bobby Alexander talks about the January 18, 2021 Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday program, rally and march and what changes are being made due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Eddie Rye with Co-Host Hayward Evans: Guests include: *Angela T. Rye, CEO, Impact Strategies and CNN Political Analyst.​ *Lacy Steele, President Emeritus, Seattle King County NAACP comments on his long history with late NAACP leader Judge Charles V. Johnson. *Gerald Hankerson, NAACP States Area Conference President, Alaska, Oregon; Washington comments on the January 15 3:00 pm (PST) "Farewell to a King" a livestream presentation honoring the life of Judge Charles V. Johnson. *Carolyn Riley-Payne, Seattle King County NAACP, talks about the decades of work she did with Judge Johnson. President Riley-Payne was the Branch's ACTSO Director for 39 years before taking over as president. *Shaude' Moore, Chair, Seattle King County MLK Organizing Coalition and Attorney Bobby Alexander talks about the January 18, 2021 Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday program, rally and march and what changes are being made due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Get a behind-the-scenes peak at how come up with our skits in this Nothing Funny About Money Short featuring Matt Goren, Judge Johnson, and Apurba Banerjee. Warning, there's some "adult" language! You can find all of Episode 10: Paying for College Before You Go on NothingFunnyAboutMoney.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Over 1.5 million veterans call Florida home – the majority of which are Vietnam Era vets. Their combined years of service to their country numbers well into the trillions, and their stories are as poignant and important today as they were 50 years ago. The Ninth Circuit’s own Senior Judge Anthony Johnson was 17 in 1966 when he enlisted in the marines. At 18, he arrived in Da Nang, and spent the next 13 months in Vietnam. Listen in to this episode of Open Ninth as Judge Johnson shares stories of his service with our host Chief Judge Fred Lauten. Let us know what you think about the podcast.

Interview with Hon. Doug Johnson of the Douglas County Separate Juvenile Court, in Omaha, Nebraska. Judge Johnson is also the immediate past president of the Omaha Bar Association. Recorded on Nov. 3, 2017.

In the fall of 1955, Rosa Parks refused to stand for a white passenger on the bus, Martin Luther King Jr. was chosen to lead the boycott that followed, and a lawyer named Frank Johnson was appointed to be the first and only federal judge for the middle district of Alabama (also the youngest federal judge in the nation). These three people didn't know each other, and yet, their paths converged in Montgomery, at the crossroads of history. In this episode, you'll hear rare audio of Ms. Parks describing the day of her arrest, and you'll learn the lesser known story of Judge Johnson, a principled and stubborn Southerner from northern Alabama, who issued many of the court decisions decimating segregation throughout the south.

The Honorable Calvin Johnson, retired Chief Judge of the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court established the first Mental Health Treatment Court in the State of Louisiana in 2002. By 2005, this Special Court was selected as one of four demonstration courts in the Country. Prior to establishing the first Mental Health Treatment Court, Judge Johnson served as Drug Court Judge from 1994 until 2002. Judge Johnson received his undergraduate degree from Southern University in Baton Rouge in 1969, served four years in the United Stated Air Force, and then received his Jurisdoctorate from Loyola Law School in 1978. He was Professor of Law at Loyola Law School for nine years and Judge of the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court for seventeen years. He has received many awards in recognition of his commitment to working with individuals involved in the criminal justice system through every aspect of their recovery, including job readiness, housing stability, and community service projects. He is the recipient of the La. Supreme Court Justice Albert Tate Award for Judicial Excellence, the Louis A. Martinet Award for Judicial Excellence, the ACLU Ben Smith Award for Community Service, the Loyola Law School Alumni of the year award, the Children’s Bureau of New Orleans Hero award, the Juvenile Justice for Youth Award, the Louisiana Bar Association Presidents Award and the Crime Stoppers Award. Judge Johnson is a Board Member of The Youth Empowerment Project, Liberty's Kitchen and Children's Bureau.

WE SHALL OVERCOME http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/civilrights/al1.htm The Selma-to-Montgomery March for voting rights ended three weeks--and three events--that represented the political and emotional peak of the modern civil rights movement. On "Bloody Sunday," March 7, 1965, some 600 civil rights marchers headed east out of Selma on U.S. Route 80. They got only as far as the Edmund Pettus Bridge six blocks away, where state and local lawmen attacked them with billy clubs and tear gas and drove them back into Selma. Two days later on March 9, Martin Luther King, Jr., led a "symbolic" march to the bridge. Then civil rights leaders sought court protection for a third, full-scale march from Selma to the state capitol in Montgomery.Federal District Court Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr., weighed the right of mobility against the right to march and ruled in favor of the demonstrators. "The law is clear that the right to petition one's government for the redress of grievances may be exercised in large groups...," said Judge Johnson, "and these rights may be exercised by marching, even along public highways." On Sunday, March 21, about 3,200 marchers set out for Montgomery, walking 12 miles a day and sleeping in fields. By the time they reached the capitol on Thursday, March 25, they were 25,000-strong. Less than five months after the last of the three marches, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965--the best possible redress of grievances.